The Dance of the Night

There are those who, in times of old, wrote of mystical 'dances' performed in the dark of night at the Cupertino High. Their tales spoke of students transformed by darkness into vile beasts; "humping" the very ground itself in vile passion, impelled by the endless beat of the drums. Is this so? Or was it exaggeration? In a quest for womons, dancing, and answers, four men set out to uncover the mysteries of the Great and Foul Dance of the Evening.

Kelsey Higham - fastest shot in West Saskatchewan!
Nicholas Feinberg - capable of lifting a ten-ton bull with one arm!
Ethan Feinberg - lockpick and cutpurse of unparalleled talent!
And the inestimable David Zhang: Consummate gentleman, deadly duelist, and dancer of all styles.
Together, nothing could withstand them.

The Feinberg two ventured out together, gauging the night's strength, and huddling together. Soon, Mssr. Higham and Mssr. Zhang arrived, and they set in to wait, preparing to infiltrate the dance.

And they waited.

And they waited.

And they waited.

They decided to try to entertain themselves to pass the time. Some money changed hands. Then the original owners demanded it back.

And they waited.

Suddenly, dark ninjas swept in from the shadows. Kelsey shot two in as many seconds; while he reloaded, the others formed a triangle around him, guarding him with a flashing swirl of blades. David was felled by shuriken to the face, aimed at Kelsey; as the ninja leader stepped in for the kill, Kelsey coolly shot him in the heart. The ninjas dispersed into the night from which they came.

And they waited.

A few minutes later, it occurred to Ethan that someone should probably bind David's wounds.

Then they at last found their moment, and slipped into the world of the Dance.

Inside the palace of evil, many faces waited; some familiar, many not. The endless thunder of the drums surrounded them, blasting at the cores of their beings. Nicholas, most vulnerable of them, was oft-forced to cover his ears in protection; David was least vulnerable and most daring, often darting close to the drums. They looked about. Many womons were found, but none were to David's liking; so they waited and watched.

David danced a beautiful dance, shuffling and pointing and throwing his head back. For a moment, it seemed that the very angels of Heaven looked down to admire the beauty of his dance. As all watched, cunning Ethan snuck behind the ceaseless drums and found the hidden plans, holding all the secrets of the dance. He returned in triumph.

Then vile darkness-weasels attacked! The four heroes looked to their friends in the crowd around to help; but transformed by the dark magic of the Dance, they stood by as our heroes were imperiled. Left to their own strength, they fought again. David skewered darkness-weasels with his sword, while Kelsey shot them one by one, and Nikolas distinguished himself, picking weasels up and hurling them so hard into others that both were pulverized entirely. Terrified by the gore, the weasels fled, defeated. Nikolas had bites on both hands; David bandaged them with a part of his magnificent cravat.

Then they sought to leave; and this was their greatest challenge. A great towering figure swirled up from the shadows as they made their escape. The giant wielded a red sword, the Rosado of Blood, in its left hand, and the terrible Mace of the Ujifusans (that was the end of that noble race) in its right. The red sword swept down on David, who fell to one knee in deflecting the blow. The black mace fell on Nikolas, who stopped it in place with terrible effort; his beard standing up as he sweated to hold it. With both weapons thus trapped, Kelsey shot the creature in the head, agonizing it; and as it thrashed, in its distraction, Ethan snuck up behind it and stole its soul.

They returned home, each in their own fashion and time. Victory now complete, Nikolas felt he ought return to his own life, while the others wished to sample further the Dark Dance. But all returned, in the end. They had won this day.